Bits From The Big Yellow Bag
by psycochick32
Summary: An ever-growing collection of random one-shots and drabbles, written for various LiveJournal communities and occasional prompts by my beta. Note: May contain spoilers for the second half of the manga.
1. Cravings

Cravings

'_And I thought the ice cream cravings would drive me insane,'_ Kagome bemoaned, hand on her swelling stomach. _'But noooo, this is InuYasha's child. Of COURSE I'd begin to crave ramen…'_

She felt the tears start to gather as she realized there would be no deliciously salty, starchy cup of noodles to quell this hunger; the treat InuYasha loved would not be invented and readily available in Japan for many, many decades. Along, of course, with everything else a young woman from the future would crave: brownies, a burger and French fries from WacDonald's… her mama's homemade oden!

Breathing deeply, she reminded herself that this was her decision. A world without conveniences and delicious meals was livable, if sometimes painful; a world without InuYasha was absolutely unthinkable.

The reminder didn't work. Kagome grumbled as the craving grew. Added to the hormones flowing through her system, she'd been beyond moody; irritable seemed to be her default setting lately. After her earlier outburst, she felt like a horrible person and wanted InuYasha to come back and tell her everything would be fine. She knew InuYasha felt guilty that she'd left everything from home behind, and she hadn't wanted him to learn just how much she'd started to miss her old life.

"_I swear to all the Gods, InuYasha… I would purify your sorry behind for just a bite of ramen!" InuYasha had blinked in shock._

_Then a smirk crawled across his face and he reached out to caress her belly. "Keh. Now I know we're gonna have a boy; no little girl of yours would want to live off ramen."_

Kagome had not been amused. For what seemed like the hundredth time in what seemed like just as many days, she was craving foods she could not have, and it was going to drive her batty. Once InuYasha had pulled himself from the crater, he'd stalked toward the village silently.

She was settling down for a good cry when the mat at the door flew open and her husband walked in, carrying a large, steaming bowl. His eyes sparkled.

"You know, when you were gone… I tried to hide how much I missed you. I didn't think it was fair to whine about you being gone when you were with people who loved you. I couldn't be that selfish." He sat next to her and the smell of the dish he had brought made her stomach grumble noisily.

He grinned. "But I think Kaede-baba knew. One day, she made me this."

It was a bowl of noodles, steeped in chicken broth and herbs. She gaped, trying not to drool, and he handed over the bowl and chopsticks.

"I know it's not the real thing," he said as she dug in with gusto. "But it tastes pretty damn good. It's healthier, too."

As soon as the bowl was empty, Kagome flung herself at him and kissed him soundly. "I love you," she murmured against his lips. "But next time… can I have beef-flavored?"

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on April 4, 2009

Word Count: 500 exactly

Prompt: "Bite"


	2. Coiled Energy

Coiled Energy

He'd been rather upset to crawl into the "never-ending bag" and realize Kagome hadn't brought him pocky. Or crayons. Or coloring books or any other manner of toy or treat!

Shippou had pouted as he eyed the gigantic amount of dog-boy's favorite ramen. How could she pamper the one who's so rude and mean to her and ignore the cute little kid!?

He had kicked in frustration, but then something inside the bag wiggled and pinched his toe. Inspecting what he'd found with a fangy grin, he grabbed the new toy and ran off.

Now he stood atop the shrine stairs, giggling gleefully as shining silver moved in and out of shadows on its way down, gathering energy and moving faster with each step.

Kagome stood next to him, not even making a move to halt the descent. In fact, she was laughing, too! She had come out to see what was going on shortly after he began to explore the possibilities with this new toy. A few moments later, InuYasha had followed, grousing about "wasting time" and "no time to play" and other stupid stuff.

After one too many "bitch"s infiltrated the hanyou's comments, Kagome sat him.

InuYasha had landed close enough to Shippou, that the smaller youkai had been forced to scurry out of the way, dropping his new toy at the edge of the stairs.

Now, all eyes followed the rhythmic progress of silver – sparkle, shadow, step… sparkle, shadow, step… - as it drew closer to the bottom.

Just before hitting ground, a shadow swept down on the creeping object that had nearly hypnotized everybody watching; dumping her passengers on the ground with a single-minded shrug, Kirara took off with the toy in her mouth.

"Oh, no! Kirara!" Kagome shouted, taking off down the steps and just barely missing stepping on InuYasha's twitching, outstretched hand. "Bring me back my slinky!"

A/N:

Word Count: 313

Prompt: "Spring"


	3. Everything In Their Power

Everything In Their Power  


InuYasha brought his shoulders back, gazing anxiously at the shrine steps. He could smell her… she wasn't far.

It'd taken months to get to this day. The three years he'd lived near the village, visiting and protecting it, meant nothing when rumor got around that the hanyou had asked the young miko to marry him.

A hanyou. Marrying a miko. And expecting to live near the village!

He'd shouldered burdens far greater than overcoming the hostility… and it was all for, and because of, that beautiful girl from the future.

_Kagome._

Wearing the beautiful kimono Sango had stitched as a gift, Kagome cleared the shrine steps.

He'd gathered firewood, hunted and helped plant rice. He'd fought off bandits and youkai. He'd curbed his language in public, refused to rise to Shippou's goading outside Kaede's hut. And he'd built Kagome a beautiful, huge hut of their own; building a spare room for tending the sick had gone a long way toward making sure the villagers knew Kagome would continue to see to their needs.

InuYasha could have made excuses: he hadn't been raised in proper society. He'd fought for everything he had. He'd already done so much for the village… Instead, he braced himself and worked harder to be treated like an equal.

Now, he had a home, a family. With Kagome by his side, he was ready to face the future… and do everything in his power to honor the young woman who'd overcome time itself to be with him.

A/N:

First posted to LiveJournal on February 27, 2009

Word Count: 250

Prompt: "Excuses"


	4. Elusive

Elusive

"Hey, do something about the twins!" InuYasha tilted his head back, hopefully placing his ears out of the reach of the girls. A breeze tickled his nose as he stared into the sky.

'_Wait-'_

He rose; nose working overtime as he carefully removed the children. "Go slay the kitsune." Shippou hadn't smelled it yet. _'Could I be imagining it?' _Kitsune noses were weaker…

One moment he was there; the next, he was a blur. He vaguely heard Miroku and Sango call out in worry; Shippou cried out in irritation.

His ears were ignored in favor of that scent… that beautiful, elusive fragrance that hadn't been on the wind in three years.

'_Kagome's scent?!'_

Memories assailed him as he ran; it seemed like it took a lifetime to reach the well, though it was a path he could easily walk blindfolded on the night of the new moon without a single misstep.

Had he finally lost it?

Had his years of dreaming finally broken his brain?

It couldn't be true… but it couldn't be a dream. He'd die if it were a dream.

Maybe he was already dead. Though, that would kind of suck. It could mean Kagome was dead…

His heart nearly stopped beating at the thought.

Okay, so he couldn't be dead.

Skidding to a halt, he took three timid steps.

He couldn't hear – the blood was rushing in his ears.

He forced himself to look…

He reached his hand into the well…

And pulled out his salvation.

A/N:

First posted to LiveJournal on March 12, 2009

Word Count: 249

Prompt: "Run"


	5. The Beast Within

The Beast Within  


Summary: While in the cocoon of the moth youkai leading the tribe of bandits, a fight rages inside InuYasha…

Purple crests carved high across his cheeks as his body pulsed in time with his heart… fighting the change…

'_No! No, not again…'_

Claws and fangs lengthened, sharpened… one wayward fang clipped his bottom lip. Blood pooled into his mouth. Coppery, tangy, _delicious…_

'_Blood… kill… destroy that which has trapped us here…'_

Red bled into his vision. Red… everywhere red.

Youkai vied with human in his veins, in his heart, in his mind…

Nostrils flared; the scent of the monk's pain, _his friend's fear_, an acrid accelerant to the youkai fighting for freedom.

'_Free me… _no, not again! _Protect us… kill them…'_

A scream, a woman brutalized. His mother, screaming for mercy for her child as she bled…

A snarl; the battle was won.

A/N:

First posted to LiveJournal on March 27, 2009

Word Count: 124

Prompt: "Switch"

Nominated at InuYasha Fan Guild First Quarter 2009 for Best Short-Short


	6. Moving On

Moving On  


Crossover (of sorts!) - Rin-Ne

'_He looks like InuYasha,'_ Kikyou mused mentally, assessing the red-haired young man who now led her to the wheel of reincarnation.

"You've clung to the world too long," he admonished her, eyeing the wheel and flipping a coin in his hand. "I'm not saying you didn't have a good reason to, but he'll be taken care of now, you know that. They'll avenge you, too." He laid his hand on her shoulder, adding, "It's time for him to move on."

Kikyou gazed at the man, scowl so similar to the hanyou's but attitude so different… is this how InuYasha would have been if he had lived a better life?

"I thought I would be returning to hell," she said quietly.

His eyes seemed to peer into her soul. "You suffered… in life, in death, and in life again. It is time to await your turn."

She reached to grab his arm. "Wait!"

He blinked. "Yes?"

"Do I- I mean, you look-" Kikyou fell silent, uncharacteristically unable to express her thoughts. "I just… think I might know you."

The young man grinned, sweeping the bright-red shock of hair out of his face. "We all come from the same place," he suggested softly, "And all cycle back to the same world." He motioned to wheel. "Now, hop on… you know you'll see him again," he reassured.

Kikyou let herself ascend to the wheel, content in the knowledge that she'd not lost InuYasha forever.

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on April 30, 2009

Word Count: 241 exactly

Prompt: "Next"


	7. The Wait

The Wait

Kagome ran her hand over the arrow scar in Goshinboku, absolutely certain that 500 years away, InuYasha was doing the same thing.

"A whole year without you," she murmured, each word like a drop of acid on her soul.

An entire year without his gruff brand of encouragement. An entire year without Miroku's brotherly advice, and the laughter of her girlfriends here couldn't hold a candle to the pleasure of Sango's smile.

Were they taking good care of Shippou? Were Kaede's joints still bothering her?

Had InuYasha moved on?

That was the most painful thought of all.

Kagome's eyes roamed to the well house before she turned back to the tree, kissing her fingers and pressing them up against the worn part of the trunk. If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel him, could hear him moving behind her, could convince herself she felt the slightly weight and warmth of his hand over hers.

'_Wait for me, InuYasha. I will find a way back to you if it's the last thing I do.'_

InuYasha pulled away from the tree, knowing in his heart she'd return.

'_I'm waiting for you, Kagome…'_

A/N:

First posted to LiveJournal on April 30, 2009

Word Count: Originally 180, this has an extra line and is 192 words long

Prompt: "Tree"


	8. Thwarted At Each Turn

Thwarted At Each Turn

Sesshoumaru's father's blood flowed through the hanyou. Admittedly diluted… but family was family, like it or not.

Really, his first goal had been to (admittedly unwillingly) locate the Tetsusaiga, be sure it was in his half-brother's hands, and then commence with educating the whelp in the ways of the weapon.

He'd been _livid_ when he'd discovered the wretch hanging from a tree. It was an outrage almost equal to his father's blatant disregard for his birthright: the powerful blood of his family left in limbo, unable to face death with honor; alive and yet not.

Worse yet – he'd been felled by a miko.

The whelp had been snared by a human bitch, just like their father!

For once in his increasingly-long life-span, Sesshoumaru hoped he was adopted, similar blood-scent be damned.

For the next couple decades, Sesshoumaru kept his ears trained for word from the Musashi region. One day, his father's blood would tell, and InuYasha would be free. At that point, serious re-training would have to commence.

Sesshoumaru was understandably unimpressed when he next saw his half-brother, fifty years later… in the company of yet another human girl.

InuYasha apparently had a very, very steep learning curve.

Sesshoumaru didn't like surprises, and the fact that InuYasha in all his idiotic glory had not only been accompanied, but _collared_, by a second human female (and worse, one he dared to _protect_) was just too much to take in.

Was it any wonder he snapped?

It was easier, Sesshoumaru decided that night, to ignore his father's wishes and simply remove the stain on the family's honor.

Somehow, that was easier said than done. Apparently hanyou were a lot more resilient than first thought. Or stubborn. InuYasha's refusal to die at his elder brother's hands built up a surprising amount of grudging respect in Sesshoumaru.

His half-brother had shown ingenuity. He had shown he had the capability to learn from his mistakes (very, very slowly). Sesshoumaru would even be willing to admit (in the comfort of his own mind, where nobody else could hear, of course) that InuYasha had surprised him on occasion.

He'd never tell InuYasha… but Sesshoumaru knew. InuYasha was not simply a worthy adversary.

He was worthy of their shared blood.

A/N:

First posted to LiveJournal on April 30, 2009

Took first place at iy_themes community

Word Count: 372

Prompt: "Secret"


	9. Something Rings A Bell…

Something Rings A Bell…

Her eyes… they are filled with tears. How does she know my name? She shouts it and my heart hurts, like it's breaking. I don't know why.

I twirl my scythe. I'm skilled with it – but she's adept with her weapon, large as it is. Why am I hesitating? I've fought this woman before. She tried to kill me. That's a fact.

As I think this, I see my weapon breaking pottery off tall wooden posts. The woman who stares at me now is next to me, laughing, a small two-tailed neko youkai mewing her own encouragement. Why do I think these things? This never happened – I don't understand!

I look into her eyes again and something in me shatters as she calls my name again, her face hardening with determination. I can hear screams, distantly, as though they're hundreds of miles away.

"Snap out of it!" She leaps forward and I leap back, as though we are dancing a dance we've indulged in thousands of times before.

But we haven't. She's only an enemy, isn't she? If she wasn't, wouldn't I know? Something would ring a bell – more than vivid daydreams and foreboding feelings I can't understand.

'Kohaku. Kill her.'

I always do what master tells me. If I refuse… he makes me think awful things. I never remember what they are, but they always hurt.

I don't want to hurt any more.

But I don't want to kill her.

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on June 11, 2009

Word Count: 241

Prompt: "Bell"


	10. Perfection

Perfection

He stood, arms latched around his fiancé. She accepted well-wishes from their friends… and his eyes remained latched on the woman at his half-brother's side.

_Perfection_. Glowing skin, like a being not of this Earth…

_Perfection_. Long, black hair. Like her cousin's, but straighter… not a wisp out of place. _Perfect_.

Taller than her cousin, too; enough that she could look him in the eye without craning her head back. His mouth suddenly dry, he knew they would fit together _perfectly_ in bed.

_Perfection_. His fiancé was beautiful …but this being was gorgeous.

Kagome had been overly concerned before the party. _"You have nothing to worry about," he'd assured her. "I am with you for you."_

But now he wanted _her_… for _her_. He could feel the power flowing off her – again, so much like her cousin… but unlike Kagome, perfectly in control.

She was a goddess among mortals. She was perfection in every way… that thought was emphasized by the electricity that shot between them as she finally raised deep brown eyes to his and held his gaze for far longer than anybody - save his mother - ever had.

_Perfection_. He strove for it, fought for it – thought, until now, that he held it in his arms.

But this woman… he'd never known _want_, known need until _now_.

She truly was perfection personified.

So what was she doing with the half-breed? Perfection was his alone to obtain, to have, to hold…

From that moment on, nothing else mattered.

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on June 25, 2009

Word Count: 250 exactly

Prompt: "Snare"


	11. That Time Again

That Time Again

It was her bleeding time… hers _and_ Sango's…

And the monk didn't seem to get it.

Miroku had been true to his reputation all day; he had several new bruises to show for it and wasn't slowing down. It was like he'd made it his mission to get the girls to smile.

'_Ain't happenin'.'_ InuYasha wondered, briefly, if not informing Miroku of his companions'… condition… was breaking some sort of "guy rule."

Then again, Kagome would break his back if she knew he knew. Sango would probably try to kill him, too.

Not that he could be taken by a human, of course; he just didn't want to test the new, inventive ways the slayer was coming up with under her breath to remove parts of Miroku's body. Shippou had come to sit on the hanyou's shoulder, a little green at the vivid imagery.

InuYasha had decided it was better not to draw attention to himself. He stayed at the back of the pack, silent.

Miroku opened his mouth to make yet another stupid joke when InuYasha called a halt (both to the trek and to the inevitable beating about to ensue). After a few tentative sniffs, he nodded. "Hot spring, that way," he pointed. "We'll make camp near there."

The humans stared at him in varying degrees of shock. It was early evening. They could keep walking.

He put his foot down. The girls lavished their thanks on him.

Hours later, Sango and Kagome headed for the spring. They'd been gone for half an hour when Miroku turned to InuYasha.

"I keep my mouth shut so she don't stick dirt there, bouzu," InuYasha explained. "I suggest you do the same for a few days."

The two shared a look before understanding graced Miroku's face. "Ah."

The camp was quiet.

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on July 13, 2009

Word Count: 300

Prompt: "Close"


	12. Working Together

Working Together

He kicked at a stone angrily as he listened to her squeal over yet another field of "pretty flowers!"

"I don't see what's so damned pretty about it," he scoffed. He tapped his nose. "There's nothing great about this places; there was a battle here a year or so ago; I can still sorta smell the corpses."

She ignored him, picking a flower here and there.

They were as different as rain and sun, night and day… chalk and cheese, he insisted. From their looks (his light and yet tanned "exotic" flavor versus her dark and yet pale "natural" design) to their outlooks (he knew the world was hell; she couldn't see the vultures for all the damned butterflies.)

He'd tried using the phrase "like human and youkai" once; Kagome tossed it back in his face that obviously he was a combination of the two, and he wasn't _that_ bad so that meant they worked well together!

'_Stupid wench.'_

He sighed, "You're too damned different."

"Maybe," she shot back, "rather than focusing on our differences, you should look at how we're similar!"

InuYasha lifted an eyebrow in challenge. Kagome dropped her flowers in thought.

"Can't think of a thing, can you?"

Silence hung over the meadow.

"Keh, told you so. C'mon, wench; it's gonna rain soon and your flimsy human hide ain't worth a damn in a storm." He turned to lead her to a low, rocky area guaranteed to have a cave or two… but was stopped by a hand on his arm.

"I still think you're looking at this wrong."

"Huh?"

"We may be different… but it takes both the rain and the sun to make a rainbow," she said softly. "Maybe one day, we can do beautiful things together."

InuYasha blinked and tilted his head.

'_Stupid wench.'_

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on July 25, 2009

Word Count: 300

Prompt: "Rain"


	13. Worth Waiting For

Worth Waiting For

She waited; revenge, whenever she could get it, would be sweet.

She wouldn't be pushed aside anymore. There would be nobody in her way. She wouldn't be second-best; she'd be the most loved! She shouldn't have died; she should have been saved!

Now, the person who was supposed to love her the most had moved on, had somebody more important… it wasn't fair! Her only companion floated to a mournful tune; fueled her ire, made her more upset at the reminder of her death.

If only she could get her revenge, she could die in peace!

How _dare_ her mother save her brother and not her! Now she sat by his side, always worrying, always crying… always over him!

She'd get her revenge. Her mother had to go home sometime… and leave her brother open to her whims.

Until then, Mayu would wait… watching her companion's wide eyes slowly open.

-----

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I just play with them

Originally posted to LiveJournal on July 21, 2009

Word Count: 150

Prompt: "Revenge"


	14. To Sin, Divine

To Sin, Divine

(follows the drabble "Perfection")

The fluttery touch of her hand on his hard length…

The scent of wine on her breath, her sweat on his body; him _on _her, _in_ her; his scent covering the half-breed's, marking her as his…

The crash of pots and pans startled Sesshoumaru from his musings. His fiancé bustled around the kitchen, oblivious to the memories that plagued him.

'_What we are doing is wrong,'_ he thought. _'She should know. I no longer wish to share with the half-breed.'_

Kagome shot him a brilliant smile; he nodded in response and her grin faltered. "I… I love you, you know," she ventured softly. His resolve weakened.

'_It would only cause her pain to know. It's better this way.'_ He was above keeping secrets but even her cousin agreed.

Her cousin… her delicious, powerful, perfect cousin, whose moans still echoed in his ears. Sesshoumaru shuddered as he recalled how she'd rippled around him; the power-play the two indulged in before giving in to mutual temptation. He snarled at the recollection of how he had left her: scrubbing off his scent, dousing herself in perfume.

A touch on his arm brought him back to the here and now as Kagome moved to wrap her arms around him, gazing up with uncertain eyes. "Are you okay? You seem… upset."

'_This foolish charade has to end.'_

"This Sesshoumaru is fine," he murmured. "Grab your coat. We are going to visit your cousin."

He could feel her tremble. "Kikyou's? Why?"

"To absolve ourselves of sin."

----

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own nor rent InuYasha! Those bragging rights belong to the genius of Rumiko Takahashi.

"Moving Day" was written for the "Sin" prompt at iy_themes at LiveJournal.

"To Sin, Divine", coming in at 250 words, was posted on LiveJournal on July 20th, 2009.


	15. Left Wanting

Left Wanting

She couldn't stop crying.

It was strange, Kagome thought somewhere inside. She felt empty, broken, unfit… it was not dissimilar to when Urasue had sucked her soul from her body.

But if she was so broken… where did the tears keep coming from?

InuYasha had been beside himself; pushing away his own grief, she knew, to care for her. _'I don't deserve his concern. I failed him… I failed myself.'_

Arms wrapped around her stomach… her empty stomach, once so filled with life… Kagome choked on a sob. The attempt to strangle the noise turned into a heavy coughing fit, bringing more of those burning tears to her eyes and drawing her husband to her side.

What had she done wrong?

Kagome had heard some of the more vicious women in the village talking outside Kaede's door, saying it was a punishment for going against the will of the kami, for giving herself to a man with youkai blood when she had reiki coursing through her body.

Kagome gasped. Had _she_ killed her baby? Had the power in her – unstable at best and completely out of control at worst – eaten away at its youkai blood until it couldn't sustain life any longer?

She buried her face in InuYasha's shoulder.

"Please, Kagome… it's killing me, to see you like this…"

The words penetrated the wet fog that seemed to have enveloped her body but she was helpless to stop the sobs that wracked her.

"I… I-I'm… I'm s-s-so sorry," she stuttered, tasting the salt on her lips. "I d-didn't-"

"Stop it!" Kagome was taken aback – shocked out of her sorrow by his sudden anger as he grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. "Just stop it!"

Blue stared into gold, both awash with tears.

"I'm…" InuYasha looked away, swallowing the lump in his throat as his thumb traced one of the bruises left on her skin.

She was so afraid… afraid he'd try to send her home, scared out of her wits that he'd confirm how useless she was, how stupid she'd been. "InuYasha?" It was nothing more than she deserved, though.

"When I saw that hawk youkai come at you from the sky like that-" InuYasha's eyes were glazed over, staring at something only he could see in his memories, "Woman, my heart stopped."

She hung her head, unable to meet his eyes.

"I…" He was never one for words, she remembered. Rather than prod him, she sat silently, waiting his condemnation. "I fought so hard to get to you… I didn't care that the other youkai was going after the headman," he admitted softly. "I just knew that if something happened to you, _I_ wouldn't survive it."

Kagome's bottom lip was raw from her chewing and he drew it out lightly with his own fangs, swiping his tongue across it.

"Wench, I knew from the moment you hit the ground that-" He gulped, running a clawed hand over her belly. She clutched it like a lifeline. "I'm just glad you're alright."

"But-"

InuYasha held a finger up to her lips, stifling her protestations. "No buts, wench." He shifted himself and her, taking Kagome in his arms and between his legs until he was all but wrapped around her. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he let out a gusty sigh.

"I ain't gonna lie to you. It hurts… it hurts so bad I want to kill something, I want to scream and rage and tear down the forest."

Kagome sniffled. "I'm still so sorry…"

"This ain't your fault. If I'd have caught you-"

"It's not your fault either! You told me to stay in the hut and I came running anyway and-"

"If you'd have stayed in the hut you'd have been flattened! You _had_ to get out of there!"

Kagome had twisted uncomfortably to be face to face with him, each determined to remove the burden of blame from the other's shoulders… each with tears streaming down their cheeks.

They stared at each other for a moment before breaking down together, mourning the loss of a future that, for the first time in a year, now looked desolate.

-----

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I just play with them

Originally posted to LiveJournal on August 16, 2009

Word Count: 690

Prompt: "Empty"


	16. Flight Interrupted

Flight Interrupted

You take to the sky, dodging the pitiful attempts to snare _you_, the son of a powerful youkai; a hanyou hated by human and youkai alike, you've survived countless attempts to end your life.

This will be no different.

Except it is. This will be your last escape as a hanyou. Clutched in your hand is the Shikon no Tama.

That wench thought she was so smart – tricking you with kindness, leading you to believe that she could want to live by your side…

Only to turn on you – like your mother's family, like your elder brother. She's just one in a long line; you shouldn't be surprised or upset.

And yet you are. You are a fool.

"_InuYasha!_"

No! The tree line is so close! Once in the forest you're home free; the pathetic humans can do nothing without a trail to follow.

Your ear twitches; the twang of a bowstring echoes. You turn to the sound, have to judge the distance, and can't help but flinch as it flies closer. It glows a bright pink and you know you're going to die; there's nothing you can do.

It slams into your chest and burns.

You're not dead, not ash, not yet… and you wonder not for the first time, _'Why?'_

You were going to give up everything – your strength, your speed, your senses – for her, and she deceived you.

"Ki-Kikyou… you bitch. How dare you…"

The pain from the arrow, from her betrayal, is smothered by soothing darkness.

-----

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I just play with them

Originally posted to LiveJournal on October 29, 2009

Word Count: 250

Prompt: "Cringe"


	17. Lies In The Shadows

_Warning: Dubcon, dark themes, sexual situations_

Lies In The Shadows

Clumsy, inexperienced hands squeeze her breasts… dip into dark shadows as yet untouched by another.

His heavy panting belies the death in his eyes, just barely discernable pools of blank unawareness. He is merely a vessel for _his _disgusting lust.

She won't give him the satisfaction of cringing away; Naraku takes perverse pleasure in perverse acts and the pain they inflict on all involved. No doubt the boy will be forced to remember later; just as she will recall, in dreaming and waking, as she's forced to paste on a smile for Sango and Miroku, as she denies her pain to InuYasha and Shippou.

Kagome bites her lip as his fingers pinch a pebbling nipple with nearly bruising intensity. Naraku is watching, she reminds herself – she won't allow herself to shed tears of ecstasy nor sorrow.

He shoves into her body. She refuses to acknowledge how easily he slides in, how well he fits… the way her thighs cradle the body he has yet to fully grow into. The fingernails embedded in his shoulders are her way of fighting back, she claims – all the while knowing the only things she's fighting are the sensations of pleasure-pain rocketing through her.

He rocks into her, a grunt muffled into her shoulder. She clenches her teeth on his throat to stifle a whimper. They move together, sweat-slicked, in a dance choreographed on puppet strings.

Kagome's fingers ghost over his neck. With one tug, she'd be free; he'd be free. _'He'd be dead; Sango would be heartbroken.'_

He slams into her as though he knows what she's thinking. Throat-deep now, their hips collide and a maniacal gleam slips into empty eyes. _He_ watches as they tumble over the edge of white-hot awareness…

He slips away, silent as his training permits, and she forces herself to clean the evidence from her body. InuYasha will return from seeking Kikyou soon enough; if he scents Kohaku there will be too many questions.

How can she respond to _them_ when she doesn't know how to answer herself?

Her motions are mechanical but smooth… like a lover's touch, like _his_ touch.

She wonders if, like Kikyou, like Sango, she's broken inside –

Because the physical pain outshines the mental agony.

On the wingtips of a wince, she smiles. It's not love, but it's close enough.

-----

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I just play with them

Originally posted to LiveJournal on November 4, 2009

Word Count: 385

Prompt: "Dark"


	18. Forcing Fanon extended

Forcing Fanon (Extended Edition)

* * *

Note: This was written and posted before the new anime started. *grin* Anybody with a fear of snark (or is easily offended) should close out now, sorry.

That being said, I really do love all my readers and reviewers, despite what the one-shot may imply.

* * *

"Okay, guys," a short woman clapped her hands to gather attention. "_HEY_!" Ignored once again, she pulled out a referee's whistle and blew.

As silence fell (mostly), InuYasha swore, his ears plastered to his head. "Fucking _what_, wench?"

"Don't make me get angelica incarnate in here," psyco_chick32 snapped. "You know how sword-happy she gets when provoked!"

InuYasha bared his fangs. "Keh! Like I'm scared of her! I can kick her ass with Tetsusaiga!"

"She's just a harmless human girl, InuYasha!" Kagome's eyes sparked at the threat.

"Yeah, with swords! And the skill to make _her_," he gestured toward psyco_chick32, who was simply watching bemusedly, "cut all my best scenes!"

"Oh stop," Kagome sighed. "You know she's totally in love with you. Plus, she adores you in both smut _and_ action scenes… you get everything you want! She doesn't even let psyco_chick32 turn you into a whiny little girl!"

At that moment, angelica incarnate walked through the door with another pile of papers. "Here you go," she murmured to psyco_chick32. "The characterizations are going to kill me," she stressed with a look that made the author quiver with fear, "but the grammar and spelling is all good. It could have a bit more angst, though…"

Turning, the beta grinned at Kagome. "And thanks, Kagome. Sit down, dog boy, so the author can talk."

InuYasha grumbled but plopped into a chair next to Kagome, arms crossed and face shifting to a petulant look. "That's better, thank you," psyco_chick32 said. She gestured for the remaining humans and youkai to take a seat as the beta made herself scarce. "Time is money people, let's move!"

"You don't get paid for this," Miroku reminded the author.

Psyco_chick32 sighed. "I know. Damn those copyrights anyway." She handed Shippou a sheaf of papers. "Hand these out to everybody, will you please?"

As the youkai scampered around, the author let her gaze slide around the room. "As you all know, there will be more InuYasha anime in a little over a month." She let that sink in. "This means all the fans that are somehow unaware there is a manga… or just ignore it completely anyway… will most likely be vindicated in their fanon ways."

Waving a copy of the papers, she continued, "In recent reviews, I've been informed of a few changes I should make if I want people to read. Thus, the changes… with heavy influence from the anime and the movies."

"I do not do movies," Sesshoumaru intoned.

"_This_ Sesshoumaru," psyco_chick32 corrected. "Everybody knows you _only_ talk in third-person. Ever." Seeing the youkai lord's narrowed eyes, she added, "And try not to show emotion. I know you actually started to care in the manga, but we're nowhere near that point in the anime."

InuYasha snickered. "Does that mean I get to cut his arm off again?" Kagome glared.

Psyco_chick32 just shook her head. "No, but don't expect to see much of Kagome anymore. After all, she'll spend at least 15 minutes in Sesshoumaru's company while in Naraku. This is probably a sign they were meant to be together." She groaned. "I can only imagine the push I'll get to acknowledge the two of them as a canon couple…"

Kagome scooted closer to InuYasha. "I came back after three years for _him_!" Then she perked up. "Do you think we'll get a real kiss?"

The author shrugged. "Not sure… but that doesn't matter. Please, start studying the new scripts. These things are examples of what you should be prepared to deal with."

The room fell silent as people read. Then, as though coordinated, everybody began shouting at once.

"Wait... she never sat me that much! She pretty much stopped by the end!" InuYasha spluttered.

"Sorry, thems the breaks," psyco_chick32 shrugged. "If I want the new fans to like me, I have to start adhering to fanon, apparently. That means _you_," she turned to Miroku, "had better get some good health insurance. You'll be spending most chapters in a Hiraikotsu-inflicted coma."

Miroku cringed. "But…"

"No buts. The anime is more slap-stick than the manga. Apparently my writing is supposed to reflect that."

Kikyou's voice rose up over the others. "Why am I still evil? I died a real woman and happy… are they bringing me back again?"

Psyco_chick32 shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. You were vindicated in the manga… but anything could happen in the anime. They vilified you pretty badly with that knife incident by Goshinboku. Most of the fandom sees you as the evil bitch, sorry."

Sango raised her hand. "That's all well and good… but there's nothing in here about me…" She riffled through the papers. "Well, other than beating on Miroku. Are they going to take out the scene where I kissed him?"

Shrugged, psyco_chick32 turned her attention to the taijya. "Sango… Do you really think the animators will focus on your character development and your relationship when they can have more love triangles between InuYasha, Kagome, Kikyou and Kouga?"

The tajiya slammed her fist on the table; psyco_chick32 nodded her agreement with the emotion.

Then the author realized all eyes… filled with a lot of anger… were on her. "Uh, guys? This isn't my fault, really! I just want to fit in!" Chairs screeched across the floor; those sitting stood. "Guys? We can talk this over, right?"

"Where's psyco_chick32? She promised us another chapter of _Control_!" LuxKen27 opened the door… and found only a puddle of blood and a flash-drive remaining.

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on August 23, 2009

Word Count: 750 exactly (originally. This version is 912 words long)

Prompt: "Blood"


	19. Excuses

Excuses

_Tssshhh. Tssssh. Tsssshhhh._

The straw scraped across the concrete, echoing around the shrine as day slowly melted into night.

'_Perhaps malaria.'_ Had he used malaria yet? Malaria was a nice, long-term disease. It'd save him excuses for another week or so.

The rolling of the well-house door on its track rumbled over the hiss of the broom. "Hi, gramps!"

"Welcome home, dear."

_Tssshhh. Tssssh. Tsssshhhh._

Uneven footfalls _thwapped_ across to the house. His daughter-in-law would see to the injury; it couldn't have been bad or the hooligan of a hanyou traveling with Kagome would have brought her back himself.

Wild, hanyou and from the past the boy may be, but he wasn't irresponsible.

'_Perhaps a leg injury… something to do with her foot. I could use another pair of orthopedic sandals; these are thinning out.'_

He'd read in the paper the latest research on magnetic therapy; maybe that kind, naïve friend of hers would bring some for him – well, her – to try out. His knees had been paining him with the cold weather creeping in…

_Tssshhh. Tssssh. Tsssshhhh._

"Thanks, mom! Bye, Souta!" A slightly uneven pace joined the hiss of the broom.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Sorry, gramps! InuYasha really wants us to leave tonight; we have a lead on another shard. Can't let Naraku get it!"

"Did you remember that kappa's hand? It will keep you safe!"

"Sure thing, gramps!"

The well-house door scraped across the track, closing with a slam.

_Tssshhh. Tssssh. Tsssshhhh._

'_The flu has been going around…'_

-----

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I just play with them

Originally posted to LiveJournal on December 6, 2009

Word Count: 250

Prompt: "Sweep"


	20. Acceptance

Acceptance

"I thought for sure you'd hate me forever…"

She couldn't meet his eyes – a sign that she wasn't quite as okay as she said she was. "InuYasha, I could never hate you." She toyed with a piece of grass before exhaling heavily, blowing her bangs from her face.

He forced a grin – pained though it was when he saw the tears in her eyes – and impulsively reached out to grab her hand. He couldn't love her… but that didn't mean he didn't care. She was his best friend, the one person he trusted. "Thank you."

It was rare that he ever thanked her. With a pang in her heart, she realized just how serious he was.

"You don't have to thank me. We're friends. Friends are there for each other." She swallowed the lump in her throat, pasting on what would have passed for a smile to anybody else. "Are you going to tell him?"

InuYasha hung his head. "I might… but we barely even talk, and even that's in class. Hell, the only time I'm talking to him is when I'm chasing him away from you."

"That's not an answer."

"It's as close to one as we're going to get. He doesn't even swing that way, I don't think."

"InuYasha…"

He refused to meet her eyes. "If I say anything, it'll get around."

Kagome squeezed his hand, bound to find an answer. If she couldn't have her happy ending, she'd at least do her best to get him his.

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on January 20, 2010

Word Count: 250

Prompt: "Might"


	21. Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye

The cloak draped around her shoulders still held some of his heat - or was that the biting warmth from the building aflame behind her?

It was something she'd never know, something she'd always wonder.

She'd loved him for years now; as the time passed and she grew older, he never seemed to change. Perhaps that's what drew her to him in the first place. Despite sickness, health, wealth and poverty, he remained the same - an island in the storm, battered but unyielding.

She could only wonder what had drawn him to her.

She'd never know.

Izayoi knew that she couldn't mourn in a traditional sense. Her family would never stand for her loving a youkai; they'd barely tolerate a hanyou, and only that because of her rank and his young age. Even if they would give in to her need to grieve, she'd hardly have the time... not with her Beloved's son to raise.

The infant in her arms cried; she rocked her arms to soothe him. When that didn't help, she wrapped him in the fire-rat haori. Fingers tipped with tiny claws grasped at the fabric; he took a deep breath and then calmed.

For them to survive, she had to look to the future... to the child who lived when he would have died if not for his father - the man who sacrificed himself in his family's place.

Izayoi squared her shoulders. She took the first stumbling steps forward...

as her past burned behind her.

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on May 21, 2010

Word Count: 250

Prompt: "Ember"


	22. Making An Escape

Making An Escape

Kagome hated the emptiness of the land as much as she loved it. Traveling on InuYasha's back – or Kirara's, as the situation called for it – was thrilling, but nothing compared to the Shikansen cutting across the island.

She hated killing, even when defending herself. Her grandfather espoused how everything in the world had value… being a force for destruction – even protecting her friends – tore at her each night.

Kagome was a cheerful girl. She liked to skip and sunshine and rainbows and relaxing after a hard day.

To be honest, it was _hard_ being around people so troubled. She wouldn't trade her friendships for anything, but the constant death and resurrection and lost loved ones and doomed futures slowly frayed everything that made her who she was.

InuYasha, Sango and Miroku were the strong ones in battle. T hey protected her, relied on her to shout instructions to save jewel shards.

But she was the strong one emotionally. She encouraged InuYasha when he was mocked in villages. She bucked up Miroku's strength when he faltered, when he gave into the intimidation of likely death from his own hand. She held Sango as the woman sobbed at night, consumed by nightmares of Kohaku's deadly rampage.

They didn't understand.

They _couldn't_.

She was from a different world… and she had no compunctions about escaping to that world when necessary. Tests made a good excuse; three days was all she asked for.

Three days to relax in the bathtub. To take a real shower. To eat Mama's cooking and pretend she wasn't a killer.

Like it or not, they needed holidays from the quest, too.

Only, she was the one willing to admit to the weakness… in hopes that in waiting on her, they could find a small measure of peace, as well.

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on June 29, 2010

Word Count: 300

Prompt: "Holiday"


	23. Through His Stomach

Through His Stomach

* * *

A/N: In a bit of a departure from my normal fare, I bring to you something fun – the piece that won "most cliché" in the first of four "Cliché Contests" at the LiveJournal Contest Community "FirstTweak." The first theme was ramen.

* * *

She may not have loved him first, but Kagome loved him _best_, and the girl from the future had had enough pussyfooting around the whole problem. She was sick of love triangles and feeling bad when InuYasha wandered off to see Kikyou (Sango assured her that it didn't happen _nearly_ as much as she felt like it did) and she was extra-sick of feeling guilty about feeling bad!

It was time to put her foot down. No more Miss-Nice-Girl! InuYasha was going to make a decision – clearly – or she'd flip. Go crazy. Nuts. She'd make Naraku look like a cuddly kitten.

And she had the perfect plan…

After all, it was her mother that said the way to a man's heart was through his stomach!

They'd bedded down for the night; Kagome could feel a light tingling in the back of her mind that informed her Kikyou was nearby. Ignoring it (outwardly), she set to studying, keeping an eye on the fish grilling.

It was when a pair of Shini-dama-chuu twisted into the clearing that she set her plan in motion.

"Oh!" she cried out as she slipped her book back in her bag. "Would you look at this?"

"Huh?" InuYasha mumbled, turning his eyes back to the glistening creatures beckoning to him once he was sure Kagome was fine.

"One last cup of noodles!"

InuYasha did a double-take. She'd said at least ten days ago that they were all gone!

"Oh, no," Kagome murmured, eyeing the side of the cup carefully.

"What is it?" Shippou asked, wondering how he hadn't noticed the treat sooner.

"See this?" Kagome tapped on the cup where a string of characters – indecipherable to her friends – was scrawled across the bottom. When Shippou nodded, she elaborated, "It expires tonight. Guess it's yours!"

InuYasha stared, mouth open slightly. "But… he had the _other_ so-called last cup!" he accused. "That's not fair!"

"It expires tonight," Kagome repeated, "and as you're going… _out_ for the night, I'll make it for him."

"Lady Kagome," Miroku interjected after a moment of deep thought, "didn't you once tell me that the best part about your treats are that they don't-"

As expected, Sango cracked her Hiraikotsu on his skull, slipping him into a coma – his last waking moment hearing an unrepentant, "Whoops!"

InuYasha ignored the far too common byplay between the two. He quivered, torn between Kikyou's beckoning and Kagome's treat.

"Well, can't you wait until I'm back to cook it?" he finally asked. "Or – it doesn't really _matter_ because I don't think ramen can go bad and after all, I'm a half-demon and we're much stronger than puny humans."

Kagome shook her head. "No, you'll be back far too late for me to cook it then. And I wouldn't want to chance it," she added with a stunning (slightly evil) smile. "After all, you're the strongest of us. We can't afford to have you out of commission."

InuYasha bit his lip, drawing blood, eyes darting.

The Shini-dama-chuu called to him. The cup of noodles glowed in the firelight.

His stomach won.

As she steeped the noodles, Kagome inhaled – there was nothing like the scent of victory.

* * *

Originally posted on LiveJournal on July 11, 2010.

This entry was 526 words long.

I do not own InuYasha and company, nor do I profit from them. Except for the evil laughter… but that's good for the soul, not the wallet.


	24. Urasue's Doll

Urasue's Doll

* * *

_Herr Drosselmeyer's Doll  
There she is on the stage  
Spinning as she sprawls  
Thank God the curtains fall_

Hardened clay crumbles. Even souls cannot animate that which has no range of motion – like putting a soul into a rock, the rock remains still unless set to roll.

So Urasue assembles her tools, gathers springs and cogs and palest magical alabaster…

And creates her masterpiece, an actual jewel shard detector, a powerful priestess trapped in the body of a doll.

_Gentlemen, this fallen angel is the illegitimate daughter of art and science._

Her creator destroyed in a blaze of rage, her betraying ex-lover dancing to another's tune, Kikyou begins her own song. He who makes the players dance will find himself caught in his own web of puppet strings – betrayed by beings of his own flesh, as Urasue was.

Equally damned and damning creatures trap a fuel of unwilling souls – the sins of living stolen lives lies buried under incomprehensible science focused on one ending alone.

_She can be yours and yours again, for her flesh is the incorruptible pale to be excused from the wages of sin._

No longer fueled by hatred, gears groan through a year of rust from tumbles through space, walks through the rain and suspension in a pond. Miasma coats the cogs, holds tight the springs, and she lets out a final moan…

In the end, as expected – she crumbles.

_Her spring is sprung  
And dance's done  
Spinning as she sprawls  
Thank God the curtains fall_

_

* * *

_

Originally posted on LiveJournal on June 29, 2010.

This entry was 250 words long.

I do not own InuYasha and company, nor do I profit from them. Except for the evil laughter… but that's good for the soul, not the wallet.

"Herr Drosselmeyer's Doll" © 2008 Abney Park – Lost Horizons album


	25. First and Foremost

First and Foremost

* * *

A/N: In a bit of a departure from my normal fare, I bring to you something fun – the piece that won "least cliché" in the second of four "Cliché Contests" at the LiveJournal Contest Community "FirstTweak." This theme was 'Test Time.'

* * *

"Blue."

"Sky."

"Uhh… Bird."

"Bitchy youkai princess."

"This is supposed to be a one-word thing, InuYasha."

"Keh."

"Ah, there's one! Keh."

"Keh?"

Miroku sighed. "Never mind. White."

"Cloud."

"Green."

"Skirt."

Miroku made an interested sound, mulling that over before moving on. "Red."

"Blood."

"Bow."

"Arrow."

"Arrow."

"Tree."

"Sit," Miroku snickered.

"Screw you," InuYasha retorted.

Miroku forced a sober look on his face. "Ehh… jewel."

"Naraku."

"Hm, really."

"Yes, really. This is a dumb game."

"This is enlightening. Let us continue. Well."

"Break it."

"Death."

"Beat it."

"One word answers, InuYasha. Priestess."

"Kaede."

Miroku sat up suddenly. "Wait, Kaede?"

"Yeah, the hag."

"You're supposed to answer either Kagome or Kikyou. This is supposed to be a way to determine who's number one on your mind."

"She's right the fuck there, monk," InuYasha said, pointing at the woman now looking at them, one eyebrow raised. InuYasha inclined his chin a bit; Miroku waved cheerfully.

"Want to keep going?"

"No, your words suck. That didn't clarify anything at all."

Casting back over InuYasha's answers, Miroku was silently forced to disagree.

* * *

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on July 24, 2010

Word Count: 177

Prompt: "Test Time"


	26. Nonsense

Nonsense

"Please! Pierce the jewel!" The arrow arced toward the blackened gem; everybody held their breath.

Light sparkled. Air swirled.

Kagome gaped. _'Did I do it?'_

When the wind died down, Naraku's severed head floated above the well... below it sat the jewel. Skewered neatly on her arrow.

No way.

No. Freakin'. Way.

"Hmph," Naraku chuckled. "At that time... I made a wish... on the jewel..."

"Okay, hold on a second!"

The dramatic music came to a scratching halt. Naraku's mouth shut with a click, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the hanyou who dared interrupt his last words.

"What the hell is this?" InuYasha motioned toward the shish-ka-bobbed jewel. "We spend 500 freakin' chapters putting this thing together after it's broken by an arrow or a crow's foot or who the hell knows what. We go through all this drama and death and destruction and in the end the answer is that Naraku's all whiny because his wish never got granted? And so... Kagome skewers the jewel and everything's all hunky-dory?"

"Oh no," Naraku reassured him, "There's still a bit of drama to go."

InuYasha waved. "I don't care. The jewel. Is... is just sitting there. _On _the arrow. WHY? HOW? Is it supposed to be some symbolic thing? Does anybody get the feeling that the powers that be have no clue what they're doing?"

"Hey, can we get back to things? I need to die here," Naraku said irritably.

"Whatever. I'm sick of trying to make sense of this."

A/N:

Originally posted to LiveJournal on October 11, 2010

Word Count: 250

Prompt: "Arrow"


	27. Without You

Without You

After a while, the whispers had begun. _"Demon magicks,"_ some said of Kagome's longevity. _"Blessings from the kami,"_ others claimed.

It was neither – simply her knowledge of health and the human body. Many in the village near the well lived longer than expected when she returned; the village flourished as word spread of the remarkable miko who refused to leave somebody untreated despite their rank, family or history.

But time ticks onward, and the human body can last only so long.

Her hair grew gray. Her skin gained wrinkles; her breathing became heavier and lighter in turn.

And, after making her apologies, one day… she simply did not wake.

InuYasha mourned. Miroku and Sango had already passed on. Their children and his traveled together, doing good wherever possible, though they made haste to the village when word spread of the miko's demise.

Kirara and Shippou gathered around the hanyou, lending support. And he needed it… mentally, emotionally, and most of all, physically.

InuYasha refused to sleep.

The bags under his eyes grew darker by the day. He was unable to stomach food – first out of sorrow, then out of his body's protestations after going hungry so long.

When asked, he admitted that every time he closed his eyes, he saw her… suspended in hell, as she'd described when attempting to save Hitomiko. The dream lingered in waking.

The years following were a living nightmare. He eventually sent the children on their way, Kirara in tow, to live their lives. Shippou went abroad.

He remained by her side, loyal to the end, fighting sleep and waking with a start when he was unable to battle his body's demand.

One day, he did not wake. Villagers found him near her grave.

He gave in – finally, after three years, to dreamless, eternal slumber.

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Originally posted to LiveJournal on October 29, 2010

Word Count: 300

Prompt: "Nightmare"


	28. Wait, What?

Wait, What?

When Kagome had come back through the well, she'd been tired, sore and hungry from the big battle. Then she'd been distraught to find the well wouldn't let her through; she'd gone through a period of depression where she believed she'd never see her friends again.

Then, somehow, she put it all behind her and forged ahead, trying to figure out what programs and courses she wanted to focus on in high school.

Finally, things settled down, and Souta felt comfortable bringing up her adventures in the Sengoku Jidai.

"Kagome?"

"What, Souta?" she snapped. He stuck his tongue out at her back; he wasn't interrupting anything. She was hunched over a book but clearly staring out at the God Tree.

"I got a question about the jewel shards."

Kagome swiveled her chair around, looking confused. "They don't exist anymore. What's there to talk about?"

"I just wonder something."

"What?" she asked, exasperated.

"How did the jewel shard in the Noh mask end up lasting all this time through time if you took it through the well and made it disappear with the rest of the jewel?"

Kagome blinked.

"Wouldn't the jewel have been missing a shard?"

"Well, no," she said slowly, thinking it through. "Because I brought it back."

"So there were two of the same shard at the same time? Because you broke the jewel and it exploded all over and one got stuck in part of a tree that was eventually turned into a mask. So how was the shard in the jewel and in the tree at the same time?"

The two stared at each other silently, Kagome running through possibilities in her head and just as quickly discarding them. She finally snagged one and clutched to it.

"Magic."

"But-"

"Magic," she repeatedly firmly. "Now get out!"

OoO**OoO**OoO

**Disclaimers:**

I have no legal rights to the InuYasha characters; that honor belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and a bunch of Japanese and English companies. I just abuse them for the giggles.


	29. Let's Make This Flashy!

Let's Make This Flashy!

"This is ridiculous," InuYasha grumbled. "Why are we doing this?"

"We need the money," Kagome said with a sigh, though her lips twitched.

"Our last show went on forever," he whined. "How do we know that won't happen again?"

"They switch out annually," Sango said. "Can we get just on with it?"

"Fine," he mumbled.

Five legendary heroes slid into position, each tugging a colored jewel from around their neck. They swung their arms one way, then another, before thrusting their arms in front of them. "Inu-Tachi Power!"

Flashy lights went off. High-pitched, catchy music punctuated with explosions played in the background.

Suddenly, five brightly-colored spandex-clad warriors stood where five mutedly-colored warriors had been standing before.

"Inu-Tachi Red!" InuYasha snarled, waving around an inappropriately large sword, posing dramatically.

"Inu-Tachi Green!" a fully-grown Shippou cheered, balancing a giant, spinning top on his right hand. His left was in the air, waving two fingers around in a "V".

"Inu-Tachi Yellow!" Sango shouted, wondering how her hair fit so comfortably stuffed under the tiny helmet. She swung her giant boomerang over her shoulder in an extravagant movement to kneel with it.

"Inu-Tachi Blue!" Miroku said, swirling his staff around and eyeing the inexplicable blue glow surrounding it.

"Inu-Tachi Pink!" Kagome wrapped up, twirling her bow a few times before bringing it up in position to fire and throwing her free hand in the air, opposite Shippou's.

Lightbulbs flashed. The mall was filled with screaming fans.

_'Oh jeez… here we go again,'_ InuYasha sighed.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Originally posted to LiveJournal on March 13, 2011

Word Count: 250

Prompt: "Cast"


	30. Cast Our Emotions Aside

Cast Our Emotions Aside

* * *

**A/N:** Inspired by an absolutely _gorgeous_ piece of artwork on DeviantArt by Cati-Art, entitled "Moonlit Night"

* * *

Two opposites thrown together by the whimsy of fate now traveled together out of habit.

"I don't need your protection," she'd sneered when, for some inexplicable reason, he'd stopped to assist her in destroying a persistent swarm of Hell Wasps.

"I did not offer it."

No overtures, no "pleases" or "thank yous" for two strong-willed, prideful beings. They were opposites in every sense of the word: black and white, human and demon, female and male.

They were complements, each admitted silently. Him without a human heart; she without a human soul.

They were powerful, calculating and wise in the ways of demons and men. While her youthful reincarnation and his useless half-brother wandered Japan in search of shards, they discussed plans, and traps, and took the longer approach.

It was more satisfying to draw the trickster half-demon out and trap him in a web of his own making.

He watched her in the moonlight; it glistened off her would-be skin. Some part of him wondered what it would truly feel like.

Tenseiga pulsed.

She gazed out of the corner of her eye; he shimmered from his hair to his toes in the full moon light.

The fang at his waist pulsated with youki.

He'd learned by now not to question his father's lessons. With one swing – in which she wondered why yet another man would betray her – he slashed through her clay body.

And it became whole.

After a moment, the two gave in with abandon – a single passionate kiss.

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Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters from the anime/manga. They all belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Originally posted to LiveJournal on September 15, 2011

Word Count: 250

Prompt: "Abandon"


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